Page 30 of Blurred Lines

“I know.”

“Take lots of videos for me, yeah?”

“Yeah, I will.”

“Okay, well, I’d better get back to work. Have an amazing day, and enjoy every second of it. I’m so proud of you, Emilia.”

I have to swallow around the lump of emotion in my throat, blinking back the tears in my eyes as I say, “Thanks, mom. I love you.”

“I love you too, baby girl.”

Hanging up the phone, I swipe under my eyes—catching any loose tears—and check my makeup in the mirror one final time before I take a deep breath, following it with a long, calming exhale. I refuse to let myself dwell on how my mom can’t be here and instead I focus on the fact that I’m fucking graduating high school today. With a grin on my face, I head out the door, ready to deliver my speech and receive my hard earned diploma.

***

Graduation day goes by in a blur of tears, smiles and laughter, and I soak up every second of it, not wanting to forget a single moment. The whole day is perfect, and it’s only when I’m back in my dorm room at the end of the day, packing up my final few belongings, that I let the tears really fall. I’m honestly not sure if they’re happy tears, or sad ones. Probably a bit of both.

When there’s a knock on my door, I sniffle, swiping quickly under my eyes before I move to answer it.

Hadley’s standing on the other side, and her eyes widen when she sees me. “Em, why are you crying?”

“I don’t even know,” I half laugh-half cry, as more tears build in my eyes. She moves in to give me a hug, which only seems to make things worse. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

She chuckles into my ear. “Girl, we’re going to talk all the time. I promise.”

“I know, but it won’t be the same.”

She pulls back, but keeps her hands on my arms as she gives them a reassuring squeeze. “Does this have anything to do with Hawk or Wilder?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know.” I swipe away the fresh stream of tears. “I just, the last few months have been so different compared to the last three years. With you, and the guys, I feel like I’ve finally found my family…and now I have to leave.”

“Weareyour family,” Hadley assures me, giving me a serious look. “And we’ll always be here for you. I dunno what’s going on between you, Hawk and Wilder, but you willalwayshave a place with us. But first you need to go out into the world and show them all just how fucking amazing you really are. I have no doubt you’re going to kick ass at Halston, and I’m going to be cheering you on from the sidelines the whole way.”

I can see tears shining in Hadley’s eyes too and she sniffles as she pulls me in for another hug, the two of us quickly descending into a hormonal mess.

Before we can completely fall apart, I dig out some sugary treats and we collapse onto the bed, ready to spend our last night at Pac Prep together.

“So,” Hadley begins, a coy grin lifting one side of her lips. “What’s going on with you and Wilder?”

“Nothing.”

She quirks a brow, clearly not believing me.

“I’m serious. Did you know he planned a two month trip for just the two of us this summer?”

Her mouth opens on a gape. “Are you serious?”

“Yup,” I say, popping the ‘p’.

“And you didn’t want to go with him?”

I let out a long exhale. “The trip sounded amazing. It was like he went digging around in my head for information then put together the vacation of my dreams.”

“So, what was the problem?” Hadley asks, her brows pulling together in confusion.

“I just…I couldn’t go on that trip with him. I…” I trail off, licking my lips, before blurting out a truth I’ve been refusing to even let myself think. “If I went on that vacation with him, I’d have fallen in love with him.”

I don’t need to say any more. Hadley’s already nodding her head, understanding my problem. I can’t afford to fall in love. I have plans; things I need to achieve. Falling in love, with Wilder of all people, would put a massive wrench in all of that. I need to stay completely focused on my future. Once I’ve got a degree and a stable career,thenI’ll have time to find love and settle down.

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